ATLANTA — An unidentified man has been banned from Delta Air Lines flights for life after he was filmed being disruptive on a plane that was bound for Allentown from Atlanta on Nov. 22.
Before takeoff, Emma Baum, 21, filmed the man loudly voicing his support for President-elect Donald Trump while spouting anti-Hillary Clinton rhetoric. She posted the 45-second clip to Facebook under the caption, “Didn't take long to notice that I'm back in 'Merica ...,” where it went viral.
Baum, who lives in Belize told Allentown news outlet The Morning Call that she was traveling home to visit family when she first noticed the man at the Atlanta airport terminal before they boarded. He was chanting that Trump would make America great again.
Baum was seated next to the man on the plane, but said she switched seats with a passenger behind her so that he could sit with his traveling companion. Before the flight took off, she asked him about the presidential election, to which he jumped out of his seat and began being disruptive. She said she asked him whether she could film it, and he said that she could, hoping the video would go viral.
The man yelled, “Donald Trump, baby! We got some Hillary b*tches on this plane?” before adding, “Trump is your president! Every goddamn one of you. If you don’t like it, too bad.”
A flight attendant then came and took the man off the plane. However, he was allowed to return to his seat later, and the plane made the journey without further incident.
After the video went viral, many commenters voiced their dismay over the fact that the man, who is white, was still allowed to fly. They noted that passengers who are Muslim, Sikh, African-American and of other faiths and ethnicities have in the past not been given such leniency, even when they’ve behaved normally.
After reviewing the case, Delta Air Lines said other travelers on that particular flight would receive refunds for their tickets, adding that the man was disrespectful to his fellow passengers, and would be banned from taking the airline’s flights for life.
